Jul 11, 2012
I received a call from 215-360-3471 at 10:43 this morning. I did not answer for two reasons: the first is that the caller ID read "PHILA PA", and I do not know anybody in Philadelphia; the second is that I never pick up calls that show a generic, ambiguous or obviously spoofed ID. A few moments of online investigation revealed that the phone number belongs to Fatimah Lorén Muhammad, a candidate for representative in the Pennsylvania house. However, when I listened to the voicemail that was left, it turned out that the call was a vote-seeking solicitation from Elizabeth Coggs. So, one mystery was replaced by another: instead of wondering why a candidate for state office in Pennsylvania was calling a Wisconsin phone number, why was a Wisconsin candidate calling using a Philadelphia phone number?
I can only conclude that there is some kind of deception involved and that Ms. Coggs was trying to trick me into picking up a political call that I would have otherwise ignored. That's dishonest campaigning, and it makes me less inclined to vote for her than I might have been, and, were I a resident of Philadelphia, less inclined to vote for the owner of that phone number for aiding and abetting this deception. If a candidate can't be honest in her campaigning, how can I expect her to be honest while in office?